Beet 2024 04 April

We have all heard about the Wood Wide Web (not a typo!) and all the great things mycorrhizae and mycelium do in an old growth forest. But did you stop to consider what is going on in a regular ol’ garden bed? What are the plants talking and gossiping about?

There is an entire social network and millions of “conversations” going on right under your feet, in your garden, raised beds, hay field, orchard and vineyard. As humans, we tend to think that communication is all about talking, texting and emailing. The natural world communicates in many other ways, including via chemical interactions.

Above the soil our plants harvest the sun to create carbohydrates and other chemicals through the magic of photosynthesis. These are used above ground to ensure overall growth as well as producing fruit and seeds to support generational growth. Plants also send a large portion of this liquid carbon down to their roots as exudates to be shared with the entire biome below the surface.

Just as humans have developed an integrated immune system – the gut with all its bacteria playing a large part in our health – plants utilize the exudates to interact with other plants and protect against pathogenic invasion. And not only do plants interact with other plants through their root systems and the entire soil biome, they also utilize chemical warfare to destroy invading pathogenic microorganisms. Plants in a sense “talk” to one another and help each other out by using a sociobiome network.

That is the good news. The bad news is that if all the plants are the same – as in a monoculture environment – they are limited in what types of “ammunition” (in the form of chemicals) are available to ward off an invasion. A biodiverse garden, field, vineyard, orchard or hay field will provide a greater variety of chemicals to protect all plants in the area.  A healthier soil environment promotes more vigorous plants that can create more nutrients to be harvested in the form of grapes, apples, hay, vegetables and flowers.

This video, “Cover Cropping for Carbon Capture in an Orchard or Vineyard”, is well worth its long viewing time. It provides a fantastic discussion about the use of multiple and biodiverse cover crops in orchards and vineyards. The information can be applied to any garden – be it flower, vegetable, raised-bed or just a few fruit trees. Nature thrives in a biodiverse environment that promotes “social” support between various grasses, forbs, shrubs, trees, mammals, birds and insects above ground and millions of microorganisms below ground.

In a biodiverse environment, liquid carbon is naturally sequestered as plants send their exudates into their roots and the mycorrhizal network. It is only in an environment devoid of mycorrhizal fungi – such as a monoculture garden – that the carbon leaves the soil in the form of CO2. Science has proven that the mycorrhizal fungi are key to soil sequestered carbon. Fungi in turn depend upon a biodiverse soil for their survival. Biodiversity is the key that keeps biological organisms above and below happy, healthy and in a chatty mood to communicate with the other plants.

You can take this conversation to another level by including local native plants in your biodiverse garden, field or orchard.

Additional Resource:

https://www.csuchico.edu/regenerativeagriculture/ra101-section/cover-crop-biomass.shtml

During this time our community has many families who are struggling to feed their loved ones.  We have an opportunity to help.  JCMGA wants to encourage people to participate. ACCESS Community Action Agency of Jackson County will again accept our produce this year.

Plant A Row started in Anchorage, Alaska, when garden columnist Jeff Lowenfels asked readers to plant an extra row of vegetables to donate to the local soup kitchen. Gardeners took up the challenge, and garden-fresh vegetables piled into the kitchen. The program went national in 1995, as gardeners across the country promoted planting extra crops for donation. Since then, gardeners have donated more than 20 million pounds of produce to food banks, soup kitchens, and related charities across the U.S. as part of the program.

Would you like to donate produce to people in need? There are three steps to participating.

1. Grow food! Whether you have a community garden plot, or just a few tomato plants, every pound helps.
2. In the June Garden Beet, we will have details on where your harvested produce can be dropped off. Details are being worked out now.
3. Once you’ve dropped off your donation, we will have a record sheet which you may use to record how much produce (by weight) you have donated so we can keep track!  Every pound counts! The Members Services Working Group and the Community Outreach Working Group are working on this.

Last year JCMGA members donated over 700 pounds of produce.

Please consider planting another row to contribute produce to Medford Access.

The Jackson County Master Gardener Association participated in the Josephine County Home Show on February 16, 17 and 18. The event was held at the Josephine County Fairgrounds, and despite uncooperative weather, there was a good response at our booth.

The booth was attractively decorated with beautiful hanging pictures of a variety of plants. We handed out many brochures on native plants, pollinators and other valuable garden subjects. We also provided information on the Spring Garden Fair, Winter Dreams/Summer Gardens and the Master Gardener Program. Seven wonderful Master Gardener volunteers answered a multitude of questions and encouraged people to sign up to be contacted with additional information. We also sold $700 worth of Garden Guides and garden hats! A good time was had by all.

I recently stopped in Gold Hill to see the progress that’s been made in the past 18 months in creating a community garden. Tammy Wilkinson of eXp Realty, and Joel with Gold Hill CanDo have been working with Jackson County, community volunteers and the City of Gold Hill to produce a total of 18 raised garden beds with wide tops to sit upon. They have 4 smaller pollinator metal beds as well as 2 pallet garden beds for kids with plantings around the fruit trees. “WOW!” is all I can say. Here is a brief timeline of what they did to make this garden a reality in 18 months.

Joel and CanDo coordinated with the City of Gold Hill to receive donated land free of charge. The parcel was completely covered in blackberries, along a multiple use pathway not far from the sports field and next to the Gold Hill Water Treatment facility. This property can be expanded as the gardens grow. A fire break was also created by removing the blackberries and brush by the water treatment plant.

The City of Gold Hill allowed the Water Treatment Facility to provide free piped-in water to the garden area. CanDo provided the donated funds for the piping and the community gardeners trenched and installed the lines, with permission from the City.

Joel and Tammy wrote grants for the garden. CanDo volunteers raised funds through donations. Jaxon Company (a hemp flower producer) contributed funds and their employees and families helped build the garden as a community project.  A Xerces Society grant provided plants for the pollinator garden project. In lieu of funds, other organizations provided knowledge, referrals, volunteers, communication to a broader audience and other in-kind resources. Last year, gardeners who had more produce than they could use donated it to their local food bank, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and people walking by the gardens.

Future plans are to continue the growth and integration of the Community Garden by providing a great place for people to grow their food, receive information, acquire gardening knowledge, inspire an appreciation of gardening and share surplus produce, seeds and plants with everyone.

Making a successful Community Garden is all about people coming together to create something for the common good. Collaboration is key. Gold Hills’ experience can be a model for others who plan to start their own successful Community Garden. If you are interested in creating a Community Garden, you can attend the Jackson County Community Gardens Network Meeting that meets quarterly in Talent. More info is available at the JCMGA website.

Photos of Gold Hill Community Gardens